Cloud ERP for SMBs: Lessons from Indian Businesses Adopting SAP S/4HANA

The rising adoption of Cloud ERP for SMBs, or the small-to-medium business segment, shows that smaller companies also want to be at the forefront of technological innovation. This trend is equally evident among India-based SMBs across various industry verticals.

India’s SME segment represents around 80% of SAP’s customer base in the country. According to SAP, India is also one of its fastest-growing ERP markets and ranks among the top 10 globally.

Driven by the growing demand for digital transformation and automation, SAP ERP adoption in India continues to exceed industry expectations. As a cloud-enabled ERP system, SAP S/4HANA Cloud is helping Indian SMBs scale efficiently and quickly adapt to changing market conditions.

Here are some ERP success stories SMB that showcase how Indian companies have successfully adopted the SAP S/4HANA Cloud solution.

SAP S/4 HANA implementation in India – Case studies

Here are a few case studies of a successful cloud-powered SAP S/4 HANA implementation in India:

1. Automotive OEM company

One of India’s leading automotive OEM suppliers struggled to keep pace with its growing business needs on an outdated on-premises ERP system. The lack of scalability hindered business growth, while high maintenance costs and limited functionality added to the challenges.

By migrating its ERP system to SAP S/4 HANA Cloud, the company built a unified, integrated system with unlimited scalability and real-time operational visibility. Here’s how this cloud-based ERP impacted their business:

Real-time insights from manufacturing operations and processes, thus providing visibility.
Streamlined processes on the SAP environment, including critical processes like purchase orders, requisitions, and public relations.
Easier accessibility to business and financial information through various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Efficient capacity planning through improved subcontracting for any product or service from suppliers.

2. Fashion retailer

A leading fashion retailer based in India was looking for a flexible ERP system that could support their existing fashion retail model according to defined SLAs. The company also needed a backend system that could adapt to new business requirements and change requests from clients.

Some of their other business requirements included:

Integration with Point-of-Sale and E-commerce systems.
Warehouse automation for improved supply chains.
Integration with third-party E-commerce applications.

Here’s how SAP S/4 HANA Cloud impacted their fashion retail business:

Integration with E-commerce systems and applications.
Adherence to SLA norms.
Integration with banking and payment systems.
Enhancements to warehouse processes.
24/7 critical customer care support.

Implemented in just 12 months and with a solution team of 15 members, SAP’s solution included the following tools:

SAP S/4 2020 FVB for Retail
SAP Fiori
SAP PO
SAP DCS

3. Consumer electronics retailer

An India-based consumer electronics retailer also needed a flexible ERP system, which could adapt to new business requirements and support their existing S/4 retail system.

Some of their other business requirements included:

Integration with Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems.
Implementation of a buy-back process and contractual information system.

Here’s how SAP S/4 HANA Cloud impacted this retail company:

Integration with PoS systems
Adherence to SLA norms
Integration with various electronics brands
Process enhancements
24/7 critical customer care support

Implemented in just 12 months and with a solution team of 15 members, SAP’s solution included the following tools:

SAP S/4 1890 for Retail
SAP Fiori
SAP PO

4. GR Infraprojects Ltd.

As a leading name in integrated road engineering and construction, GR Infraprojects needed a scalable ERP solution to support their project planning. With their current system, the company was unable to sustain the business growth, thus leading to increased maintenance costs.

By implementing the cloud-enabled SAP S/4 HANA solution, the company built a scalable, resilient cloud-based system at a more affordable cost. Here’s how this solution impacted this engineering and construction company:

Reduced the load of infrastructure administration on a cloud platform.
Cloud-powered security for its key data and business assets.
Improved system performance and high availability.

Benefits of Cloud ERP for SMBs

As evident from these real-world case studies, Cloud ERP for SMBs in India can deliver a host of benefits such as lower implementation costs, scalability, and data security. On average, a small Indian manufacturer can save up to 30% in IT costs by migrating from on-premises to a cloud-powered ERP system.

In the competitive retail domain, SMBs can leverage SAP S/4 HANA’s real-time analytics to improve their inventory management, thus effectively reducing stockouts and inventory carrying costs.

Effectively, a cloud-based ERP system like SAP S/4 HANA can directly impact any SMB’s cost savings and operational efficiency.

Conclusion

To summarize this blog, Indian SMBs can optimize their costs and operations by switching to a cloud-enabled ERP system like SAP S/4 HANA Cloud. Each of the customer success stories mentioned in this blog emphasizes why modern SMBs can no longer continue operating with on-premise ERP systems.

As an experienced SAP implementation partner, Praxis Infosolutions brings years of learning from executing successful ERP projects for its Indian clients. Our innovative solutions have accelerated the pace of the Indian SMB digital transformation process.

Contact us if you’re looking for a reliable technology partner along with an affordable SAP ERP software price in India.

Reference links for case studies: